Frightening, Gross and Incredibly Fun!

Rating: 8/10 (13 May 2012)

28 Days Later (2002) has firmly secured its position as one of the greatest zombie films ever made. The film made it début back when the zombie franchise was at the height of its popularity, and rode the roller coaster of success. It's a superbly made film, and well deserving of its title as a modern classic.
The film's protagonist, 'Jim' (Cillian Murphy), wakes up in an abandoned hospital with no knowledge of recent events. When examining the streets of London, Jim discovers that the city has been completely abandoned, or so it seems. Jim is soon attacked by people infected with 'the rage virus', a highly contagious disease that forces its host to go on a rage induced killing spree. Now, in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, Jim must work with other survivors in order to stay alive.
What made 28 Days Later stand out from other zombie films was that it gave a scientific explanation for the zombie apocalypse. Most films, up until that point, had a supernatural explanation, or avoided an explanation all together. While earlier zombie films played on audience's fear of the supernatural and the unknown, 28 days later, plays on a more modern fear, the fear of disease. This modernising gives the film a sense of believability, while also making it more frightening than films before it.
The zombies are more modernised themselves. These aren't the stereotypical zombies of past films, pale creatures who slowly stumble towards their prey. These zombies are fast, deadly and have the physical endurance that would rival an athletic sprinter. The virus is carried in the victim's blood, and if even a drop comes in close enough contact with you, then you have less than a minute until you become one of the 'infected'. The very idea of how vulnerable you are too infection is in itself a real life fear. This plays on the audience, making the film far more terrifying. Disease is the one enemy that you can't fight with conventional weapons.
All the actors do a great job in this film, showcasing their characters and being very convincing in their roles.
If you were expecting a movie where a bunch of survivors take charge with guns and start cutting down hoards of the infected, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. You never even see a gun being fired until the last quarter of the film, and even then it's by members of the Army. 28 Days Later is more than your standard action flick, creating atmosphere and suspense through the use of timing, visuals and soundtrack. There's an uneasy quality about the whole film, making it great at what it's trying to do. There are a lot of shots in the film that have no music in them at all, giving an unnerving quality to scenes that were already unnerving to begin with.
The film also makes use of 'shaky shots', particularly during suspenseful action scenes and when showing close-ups of the infected. This gives a sense of instability, like the audience is running alongside the characters, especially when the shots are taken at eye level. This technique also makes it difficult to get a good, proper look at the infected, giving a slight mystery to their full appearance. It also reflects the nature of the infected, as they have a tendency to twitch uncontrollably.
There are few zombie films that can reach this standard of quality and horror. It has a lot of strengths and not many weaknesses. If you're a fan of zombie films or a fan of the horror genre in general, you need to see this movie!